


Toxic

by KatNovella



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Food Poisoning, Palladium Poisoning, Poison, Poisoning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2016-04-26
Packaged: 2018-06-04 16:43:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6666346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatNovella/pseuds/KatNovella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After society is faced with the heavy outbreak of toxins causing many fatalities, the government enforces a program to make a new race of super humans immune to these toxins. ~Loosely based on the lead contamination in Flint, Michigan~</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cover image by: theGirlwithCoffee (Quotev)

                                                                                

**_"Poison."_ **

**_"Toxin."_ **

**_"Venom."_ **

No matter what you call it, you can't deny that its very existence has lasted since the beginning of time. After all of our experimentation with it in government funded projects, such as war and medicine, we finally began to realize its true effects. We gradually learned that this "substance" could have horrible effects on the human body which resulted in either sickness or death. Of course this didn't spark the end of their experimentation. They were much too ignorant to give up so easily. So unaware of their own incompetence to pay attention to the society slowly dying in front of their very own eyes. Yet they kept their backs turned to the people who looked to them for protection.  The people who needed them the most.

They claimed their experiments were solely for the "good of society" and would "better the world". This reasoning would quickly backfire on them as the world slowly deteriorated. The government's "world changing" experiments led to contaminated drinking water, food, and oxygen. Little by little their people began to die, and who did they have to blame? Nobody but themselves.

Riots broke out across the country, streets were littered with trash, wildlife were becoming slowly extinct, and water systems around the world turned a filthy black. Within a short span of time they managed to do the completely unimaginable. They killed the world.  
Minerva, one of the most powerful countries, located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The perfect location to oversee the world. It's shorelines are heavily monitored to keep out any unwanted company. People caught without a citizen record will be eradicated immediately. No ifs, ands, or buts. End of story. Truly a country to be feared.

Minerva's government worked quickly to fix their "mistake" and turned to biologists and chemical specialists for help. Thus began the Divine Program, a program designed to make super-humans completely immune to chemicals and toxins. However, this project had its many trials and errors. For nearly a decade, children were plucked from orphanages worldwide and used as test subjects. These children would be injected with numerous chemicals and varied dosages, resulting in one-hundred million deaths. They're slogan "Let's make the world great again!" was a complete joke.

However, one day that all changed and they were completely shocked at their results. At last they finally had a successful test subject, their first step to bringing back humanity. Her name was Ira Iron, a name that was both straightforward and easy to remember, and she was their holy grail. Of course, they worked right away to find what went right and implemented it into the following test subjects. Deaths began to lessen and success stories were rising day by day. One of these success stories was me.

I don't remember much about the reality or the world itself outside of a dim room and few books to occupy my time. As far as I know, I was experimented on as a baby so that I wouldn't have any recollection on society and therefore I'd never truly realize what I was missing out on. Alice Avicide, a normal girl immune to Avicide, a chemical that kills birds. How exhilarating, right? Wrong. Some of the other patients are allowed time outside in the courtyard well I'm stuck inside with only the view outside a glass window to comfort me. Since Avicide is in my system it's dangerous to go outside. At least that's what they tell me. They're afraid that I'll pose a danger to the birds. I just wish I could fly among them. If only I could grow wings and leave this place forever.

"Alice! Alice! Alice!" My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of someone shouting my name. I slowly blink out of my trance and see my dear friend Sarah hopping up and down excitedly in front of me. Sarah Serenity Sun, a young girl of age ten, immune to sun poisoning. "What? What? What?" I shout back. "You'll never guess what I saw outside in the courtyard today!" Sarah is one of the patients allowed to go outside into the courtyard. She'll come and visit me to tell me about her experience outdoors. "I saw one of the cutest little rabbits outside in the bushes! His fur was as white as snow and his ears were so soft! You should've seen him!" I smile at her great enthusiasm and grab one of my favorite books, Animals, Plants, and Insects of the World, off one of the many bookshelves that surround the room.

I flip through the pages until I land on the page I was looking for. "That's him! That's the rabbit I saw!" She points at the illustration of the white rabbit on the page. I gently move my finger across the page. What'd I do just to be able to pet it's fur and see its little nose wiggle. "Oh! I also saw the most adorable little Bluebird today! I reminded me of you!" Sarah grabs the book from my hands and quickly flips to the page with an illustration of a Bluebird on it. "That's him!" She points down at the page and I move my finger across the picture of the Bluebird. This is as close as I'll ever get to one of these creatures.

I let out a heavy sigh and take the book from her hands. I'm so sick of dreaming of what's out there. Why can't I get a chance to go experience the outside world like every other human being? I close the book and gently place it back on the shelf. "Alice, are you okay?" I turn to face Sarah with a smile on my face. "I'm just fine. Don't worry about me. Tell me more about what you saw."

Tell me, if this isn't hell, then where am I?


	2. Getting Harder to Breathe

The door sounds as my fist comes in contact with it. "Come in, dear." I open the door and step inside as instructed. The room is rather big in size and it's decorated in victorian era-styled furniture. "Ah, Alice! It's so nice to see you!" Ira Iron, the first actual success story of this facility, fifty years of age and is the motherly figure for most of us. "Ira! Long time, no see!" I smile. “What brings you here, darling? Please sit.” She gestures towards the chair in front her. I sit and look around nervously. How am I going to explain this? “Ira?” She turns her attention towards me and smiles. “Hm?” I breathe in and let out a heavy sigh. “Have you...ever thought of leaving here...forever?”

I see her eyes widen for a moment and go back to their normal size. “I...of course I have, but escaping here...it’s impossible. I’ve been here since I was five, Alice. I was plucked from Lucina Orphanage and brought here. I saw horrible things, things I wouldn’t wish for anyone to see, not even my worst enemy. Although…” Ira looks around and leans forward to whisper.. “With all the time I’ve been here I can’t say that I haven’t learned a thing or two about the layout of the facility. They trust me. Over time they learn who the good and the bad are. They ones who cause them trouble don’t get as many opportunities. Failure to comply results in going to a place they call “the underground”. It’s a secret base under the facility where all the “rejects” go. Basically, it’s a prison for experiments that didn’t result in what they were hoping for.”

A prison? Under the facility? What the hell is going on here? “Ira, why are you telling me this?” Ira quickly glances around once more. “It’s much too late for me. I’m getting older and weaker by the day. Besides, the other patients here need me. I want you to earn their trust and find a way into the underground. When you’re there I want you to help me put an end to this mess. They need to pay. What do you say, dear?” I look at her with eyes full of confusion and fear. What do I do? Of course I want to help, but can I? I....I don’t know. I stand up abruptly and begin making my way over to the door. “Wait! Alice, I know you. You are the most determined patient here. You always work hard for what you want. Don’t just do this for me, do it for everyone. Just think about, okay?” I stare at her and turn around with my hand gently resting on the door handle. “I’ll...I’ll think about it.”

I lay awake in my bed, just lying there, restless. Nobody has ever been to the underground. Ira and I are the only patients who know of its existence. I don’t know what to expect. Rejected test subjects trapped in cages? Abandoned machines and equipment? I might be wrong. Maybe it won’t be so bad and I’m just overthinking things. All I know is I can’t help but ponder the possibilities. I've always dreamed of freedom and just the idea of the soft breeze blowing against my skin and through my hair soothes my thoughts. I'd love to explore the world and visit new, foreign places. Maybe, just maybe if I did this one little task I could leave this place forever. I could take care of Sarah and we could live normal lives.

Ira, I'm not just doing this for you, this is for me and everyone else. You have a deal.  
I'm going to the underground.


	3. Getting Harder to See

**_"Five months."_ **

  
It's been five months since I last spoke with Ira and Sarah's been visiting less, leaving me to my own devices. Every time I try to visit Ira she always seems to occupied. At least, that's what they tell me. Something must be going on. I just know it. I've got to see Ira and soon.

Slowly I walk to Ira's room and knock gently on the door. Nothing. I twist the handle with panic evident in my actions as I quickly burst into the room. "Ira?" I call out. Soon I see her figure approaching me as she exits her bedroom. "Sorry, I didn't hear you knock Alice." Ira answers. I notice something off about her. Dark circles have appeared under her eyes and her skin is slightly paler. "Ira, what happened? It's been five months." She sighs and slumps down in one of her chairs. "This happened." Ira holds up her index finger where I can see a tiny scar upon it. "They're starting the process of withdrawing our DNA. From what I remember, they're gonna implement all of our DNA in a host and once that happens we die." My eyes widen. "You're dying..."

Her eyes linger to floor. "The withdraw process weakens our bodies and basically takes away our immunity. With the toxins in our blood streams we are left to slowly die. We need to get you to the underground before they withdraw your DNA. They need a host but they need to pay. We're gonna give them that. Dr. Martyr spoke about the underground to me very vaguely. The technical term for it is Base H311 and not only are the rejects sent there but that's where all the waste is sent to as well. That means that Base H311 is accessible through any waste disposal unit throughout the facility."

"So, you want me to dive down a trash bin." I state bluntly. "Precisely. Once you get there, take this needle and get DNA samples of all the patients you see. Dead or alive. It doesn't matter." Ira hands me the needle and I notice it doesn't look much like an average needle. "The Martyr Needle, a needle capable of sterilizing itself. Recently improved with the capability of holding hundreds of blood samples at a time. Brilliant device." I look at the needle and shove it into my dress pocket. "You said we were gonna give them a host, right? Well, who did you have in mind?" I ask. I look at her awaiting an answer, only see her lying back in her chair with her eyes open as if she were in some kind of trance. I checked for a pulse. Nothing. I closed her eyes and kissed her forehead. "Goodbye, mom."

I closed the door, wiped away my tears, and began to make my way to the nearest waste disposal unit. Just like Ira said once before...

"These bastards need to pay."

After passing many doors  and going down several hallways, I finally managed to find a disposal unit. I quickly glance around me before I open the flap and jump down the unit. The sound of rushing air fills my ears as I make my way down. Expecting to hit a hard surface, I prepare for impact. Except, I don't. I open my eyes and feel strong arms holding me.

"Well, you're not dinner."


	4. Welcome to Base H311

"Well...this is awkward." My words echo off the walls around me. I take a glance around at my surroundings and see trash everywhere. Empty cartons, empty trays, leftover food, and more. "You're telling me. I thought I was getting a full course meal." he says as places me onto the ground. To my dismay I stepped in a sticky substance and struggled to remove my feet from the floor. "Who are you?" I demand. "The name's Conner. Toxic immunity, you ask? Concrete poisoning."

"Concrete, huh? Interesting. Can you help me out here?" I answer, never taking my eyes off of the ground. "Stuck already? You're not gonna make it very far down here. Let's make a deal, sweetheart. I told you about myself, now tell me about yourself. Then I'll help you. Deal?" Conner holds out his hand to me and I shake it in agreement. "Deal." I sigh. "My name is Alice. Toxic immunity is Avicide. You know, the stuff that kills birds?" He smiles, satisfied with my answer and glides towards me. "Alright Ally. Here we go." Conner takes out a metal scraper and begins the process of removing my feet from the ground.

"Welcome to Base H311. What brings you here anyways?" he asks. "I'm on a mission, if you will, for Ira."  Conner's eyes widen. "A mission, huh? For Ira nonetheless. How is she? Man, I can't remember the last time I spoke with her." I clear my throat and turn my back away. "Um...she's been set free, actually." He gets my hint and furrows his eyebrows. "Oh, I see. So, what'd she send you down here to do? You don't seem like the type to get sent down here."

I reach my hand into my dress pocket and rest it on the Martyr needle before I grab and show it to him. "She gave me this. She wants me to get DNA samples of all of the rejected patients that were sent down here." Conner looks at the needle menacingly. "I know about that needle. The first prototypes that "genius" Dr. Martyr made are down here. Along with their instruction manuals on their use. They don't work of course. Never did. That's why they're down here. How do you know if that one works?"

"It was used on Ira. Somehow she managed to get a hold of one and gave it to me. Those imbeciles want a host to inject every patient's DNA into and we're gonna give them that in spades but we're gonna make them pay the price as well and they won't see it coming." I state confidently. Conner grins deviously and fist bumps my arm. "I like the way you think, sweetheart. Let's do it." I look at him with eyes full of confusion. "Hey, don't give me that look. We're gonna be a team now. It's not like I've got anything better to do besides sifting through the garbage. Besides, may I remind of the "sticky situation" you were in just a few minutes ago?" teases Conner. I sigh and show him a friendly smile. "Alright, just don't call me sweetheart." He laughs at my statement and ruffles my hair. "No can do, sweetheart. Anyhow, my friends and I got our own little base set up not too far from here. You should come with me and I'll introduce them to you."

"Your friends aren't rats are they?" I tease.  
"No, not all of them are." He answers.

We walk down narrow, dimly lit hallways as we gradually make our way to his base. I'm not going to lie but I wasn't really expecting to meet very many patients down here. I just assumed means of survival down here would be slim to none. Conner comes to a complete stop as we approach a dead end. "There's a vent up there. I'll boost you up." he points to decent-sized vent on the wall and crouches down with his hand cupped. I place my foot in his hand and manage to lift myself into the vent. Not long after, he jumps into the vent following behind me. After a few twists and turns, we find an exit and hop down into a room where a small fire is lit in the middle of the floor.

"Conner, who's this?"


End file.
